Nanjing Green Towers will be Asia’s first vertical forest

A new mixed-use project from Stefano Boeri Architects, Nanjing Vertical Forest will comprise two towers rising from a 20-meter shared podium. What makes this project unique is, according to the architects, this will be the first vertical forest built not only in China, but in all of Asia.

The building’s facades will feature 600 tall trees and 500 medium trees from 23 different local species. Another 2,500 cascading plants and shrubs will be included, as well. In total, the trees and other plants will cover a 6 square mile area and absorb 25 tons of CO2 per year. The plants will also produce about 60 kilograms of oxygen per day. To help put that into perspective, the average person needs 0.84 kilograms of oxygen per day, according to NASA.

One of the towers will rise 200 meters and be topped with a “green lantern” while the other tower will rise 108 meters. The 200-meter tower will include a museum, a green architecture school, and a private rooftop club. The 108-meter tower will house a 247-room Hyatt hotel and a rooftop swimming pool. Both towers will rise from a 20-meter podium that will host retail space, a food market, restaurants, a conference hall, and exhibition spaces.

The project is Stefano Boeri Architects’ third vertical forest prototype, after Milan and Lausanne. The firm plans to bring vertical forests to other Chinese cities such as Guizhou, Shanghai, and Chongqing at a later date. The Nanjing Vertical Forest will be completed in 2018.

A restrained palette of natural, authentic materials was used in the Amherst (Mass.) College New Science Center. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding campus architecture, the high-performing materials are designed and detailed for a 100-year life cycle. The pavilions are clad in ultra-high-performance concrete panels, in turn protected by a fixed weathering steel screen. Photo: Chuck Choi, courtesy AIA

Clark Construction, in partnership with HKS Architects, in June broke ground on the University of California, San Diego’s Living and Learning Neighborhood at North Torrey Pines, a 1.5-million-sf, seven building mixed-use complex whose passive features include a modular micro-aerobic digester that will process food waste into biogas and fertilizer for community gardens. Courtesy Clark/HKS

Trending Articles

SmartExam, a virtual care platform by Portland, Oregon-based Bright.MD, attracts a significant number of patients under the age of 40 who do not have a primary care doctor and want a convenient experience.

In Chicago’s Lakeshore East neighborhood, GEMS World Academy Middle-Upper School, designed by bKL Architecture, is rising 13 stories. The building is set back 25 feet from the street to allow in more natural light, and features an 8,000-sf artificial turf recreation area that doubles as outdoor classroom and gathering space for its students. Its Building Team includes WSP (SE), WMA Consulting Engineers (MEP/FP), Mackie Consultants (CE), Wolff Landscape Architecture, and Power Construction (GC). bKL Architecture.